NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Orest

A masculine Slavic name meaning "courageous" or "mountaineer".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2022. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Orest is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Orest popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2022 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4789, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 3 births.

This profile covers 15 England and Wales registrations across 5 recorded years from 2006 to 2022. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 15 living people in the UK are called Orest. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2023 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Orest ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales in 2022, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2006, when 3 boys were registered as Orest.
  • About 15 living people in the UK are estimated to have Orest as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4789

2022

Births in 2022

3

Latest year

Peak year

2006

3 births

Estimated living

15

2026

Meaning

What does Orest mean?

The name Orest originated from the Greek name Orestes, which is derived from the Greek word "oros" meaning "mountain" and "estao" meaning "to stand." This suggests that the name may have been associated with someone who lived in or came from a mountainous region. The name Orestes first appeared in Greek mythology, where it was the name of the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Orest is from the 10th century AD, when it was used by Kievan Rus' princes. The name was popular among the ruling elite of the Kievan Rus' and later spread to other Slavic regions. In the 11th century, the name was also used by the Byzantine Emperor Orest I, who ruled from 1057 to 1059.

The name Orest has been borne by several notable historical figures throughout the centuries. One of the earliest was Orest Adamovich, a 16th-century Belarusian writer and translator who played a significant role in the development of Belarusian literature. Another notable figure was Orest Kiprensky, a 19th-century Russian painter known for his portraits of Russian aristocracy and intellectuals, including Alexander Pushkin.

In the 20th century, Orest Subtelny was a prominent Canadian historian of Ukrainian descent, best known for his work on the history of Ukraine. He was born in 1941 and passed away in 2016. Orest Patsovsky was a Ukrainian-American architect and artist who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Ukrainian Institute of America. He was born in 1914 and died in 1998.

Another notable figure with the name Orest was Orest Somov, a Soviet-Russian composer and violinist who lived from 1923 to 1994. He composed several works for violin and orchestra, as well as chamber music and film scores.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Orest over time

The chart below shows babies named Orest registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2006 to 2022. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Orest, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2022, compared with 3 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Orest
01223200620142022

Decades

Orest by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Orest was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4789 3 1
2010s #4748 9 3
2000s #4052 3 1

Related

Names similar to Orest

FAQ

Orest: questions and answers

How popular is the name Orest in the UK right now?

In 2022, Orest was ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Orest most popular?

The peak year on record was 2006, with 3 babies registered as Orest in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Orest?

A masculine Slavic name meaning "courageous" or "mountaineer".

How many people are called Orest in the UK?

A total of 15 babies have been registered as Orest across the 5 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.